Circular-knitting machine



/ 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. H. MAYO. I 1 Circular Knitting-Machine.

No. 226,091 Patented Mar. 30, 1880.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTOBN EY MFETERS, PHoTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. H. MAYO. Circular Knitting-Machine;

Patented Mar so, 1880.

INVENTUR WITNESSES ATTORNEY' METERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

' 4 Sheets-Sheet a.

W.'H. MAYO. Circular Knitting-Machine.

No. 2261091 Patented Mar. 30,1880.

NFETERS, FHOTOLITHOGRAFHER. WASHIN Y0 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. W. H. MAYO. Circular Knitting-Machine.

No; 226,091 v Patented Mar. 30,1880.

- mm H Illljjlllllll' Illlll IQMIIIIE INVENTOR AToREY N. PETERS. PNOTmLITHuGRaPuER. WASHINGTON. n C.

NITE STATES WILLIAM H. MAYO, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,091, dated March 30, 1880.

Application filed October 27, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MAYO, of St. Joseph, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines; and I do hereby declare the follow in g to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it. reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention consists in certain improvements in circular-knitting machines, hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, which represent parts of a knitting-machine sufficient to illustrate the invention, Figure l is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through one plane of the machine. Fig. 3 is a similar view through a plane at right ano jects below the bed-plate.

straight line.

gles to that of the preceding figure. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the cam-cylinder with its independent ring in raised position. Fig. 5 is a view, in side elevation, of the machine with the hanger removed. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the cam-cylinder, showing the oppositely-inclined ways of its groove in front elevation. Fig. 7 shows detail views of one of the hangers and its connecting parts. Fig. 8

0 is a view, in side elevation, of a short-armed needle. Fig. 9 is a similar view of a longarmed needle.

The needle-cylinder A is adapted to have vertical movement within a central opening formed through the bed-plate B, the lower portion of the cylinder serving both as a guide and as a protector for the lower extremities of the needles. A clamp, G, embraces that portion of the cylinder which pro- Vertical slides a, formed respectively on opposite sides of said clamp, work in grooves 12, formed in the hangers D, which latter depend from the bed-plate. The arms of a horizontal bow,E, embrace the clam p, and are respectivelyformed with inclines c, which work in transversely-inclined grooves (1, formed in slides ct. Said hangers are formed with transverse grooves e, in which the arms of the how have movement in a horizontal The bow is longitudinally adjusted by any suitable means, the drawings representing a thumb-screw, f, used for this purpose. As said how is moved to or fro its inclines c engage with their grooves in the vertical slides a, and the clamp 0, together with the needle cylinder, is correspondingly raised or lowered. In this manner the needlecylinder can be adjusted relative to the needles, thereby regulating the work as desired without stopping the machine.

A skeleton-cylinder, F, is located between the needle-cylinder and the cam-cylinder, and is secured to the bed-plate. Within the vertical openings of this cylinder, respectively, fit the lateral arms of the needles as they extend radially outward and engage with the cam-cylinder.

It will be observed that the needle-cylinder, the cam cylinder, and the skeleton cylinder are respectively located in different vertical planes, the skeleton-cylinder being placed adjaceilt to the cam-cylinder, and adapted to have the outer portions of the needle-arms fit in its vertical openings.

The skeleton-cylinder is formcd of vertical bars f, whose lower extremities are rigidly secured to the bed-plate of the machine. All

strain against the needle-arms caused by the operation of the cam-cylinder is received and supported by the skeleton-cylinder, thereby relieving the needle-cylinder and the needles from the strain which would otherwise be imposed thereon. The needles can, therefore, be made of exceedingly small sectional dimensions, and are adapted. to operate freely and easily.

' In this manner a machine can be made which is adapted to do very fine work, and at the same time it prevents frequent breakage of the grooved walls of'the needle-cylinder. The needles also are adapted by this means to operate freely and easily.

The cam-cylinder C.- is provided with a continuous groove, g, for the needle-arms to work in, said groove being formed with oppositelyinclined ways h at one portion thereof, which operate to vertically reciprocate the needles in forming the stitches. The upper wall of the main straight portion of this groove is formed as an independent ring, H, adapted to be raised to widen the groove, so that the needles which are not used in knitting the toe and heel of the stocking may be raised and passed over that portion of the groove which is provided with the inclined ways without engaging with the latter.

Lugs I provide means for lifting the ring from its low position; and studs m, projecting from the periphery of the ring, fit in notches it, formed in the top of the cam-cylinder, thereby maintaining said ring against misplacement when in raised position. hen the ring is located in its low position said studs fit in vertical grooves 19, formed in said cylinder.

The upper wall, g, of the oppositely-inclined ways h, together with the horizontal extensions g which form the upper walls of the adjacent portions of the groove, are adapted to fit in a longitudinal recess,h, formed in the lower edge of the ring, when the latter is in lowered position.

In knitting the heel and toe of a stocking a portion of the needles are not used, and during this operation the machine is run with a reciprocating motion. To carry on this operation the ring H is raised, so that the upper portion of the working groove forms one continuous path about the entire cam-cylinder in the same horizontal plane, the lower portion of the groove still connecting with the oppositely-inclined ways. The needles which are not to be used are drawn up, so that their arms are in the upper portion of the groove and will pass above the inclined ways. The machine is then operated with a reciprocating movement, the raised needles not coming in contact with the inclined ways, and the latter only actuating the remaining needles, whose arms are in the lower portion of the working groove.

The inner portion of the lower wall of the working groove is provided with a channel, 1", which connects said working groove with an idle groove, 8, formed in the lower portion of the cam-cylinder. A pivotal switch, L, is adapted by a thumb-screw, M, and slot N to close and open this channel.

The superfluous needles 1? are provided with short lateral arms, and the necessary oractive needles R are provided with long arms.

When the superfluous needles are to be retired into the idle groove the switch L is dropped down, and the vertical slide S, having a beveled lower edge, is inserted into a slot, 25, formed in the inner side of the adjustable ring H, directly over the channel 1. As the long-armed needles pass under this slide they'are depressed into a recess, 21, formed in the outer portion of the lower wall of the groove, and then are raised into their normal position in said groove g. The short-armed needles pass through channel 1' down into the idle groove.

It is evident that the above result follows from the difference in length of the arms of the superfluous and necessary needles taken in connection with the other operating parts. The slide S necessarily engages with the arms of both sets of needles. The short-armed needles are thereby depressed and pass down into channel 1',- but the necessary or long-armed needles have their arms of such length that they cannot pass into said channel; hence they slide, and are again in the straight portion of the working groove. The slide S is then removed, the switch L is secured in its raised position, and the machine operates with only the necessary or long-armed needles.

When it is desired to employ the superfluous needles the switch L is dropped, and a reverse movement of the cam-cylinder operates to take said needles out of the idle groove into the working groove. The switch is then secured in raised position.

Two latch-openers, T, are secured to the camcylinder, being located, respectively, over the upper termini of the inclined ways It, and extending a suitable distance in line with the groove. These latch-openers serve to keep the latches of the needle down until the latter reach a position to form the next course of stitches. The two are only in active use when the machine is operated with a reciprocating movement.

A ring-plate, W, carries the yarn-carrier Y, and the latter is located between said two latch-openers.

Inasmuch as every machine is liable to occasionally drop a stitch, there must be some means whereby the dropped stitch may be taken up; and as the space between the latchopeners is the only point in my machine where the needles are in a sufiiciently low position to admit of the stitch being drawn over the top of the needle without breaking the yarn, it is evident that if the two latch-openers were formed in one and the same piece the operation of taking up the dropped stitches would be very much impeded; hence I provide the construction above described.

In operating the machine a full set of needles is employed, the long-armed needles exceeding in number the short-armed needles. Preferably I arrange the needles about the needle-cylinder so that every third one may be a short-armed needle.

Before commencing each sock the shortarmed needles are retired into the idle groove consequently there are no loops or stitches to be disposed of before retiring said needles.

After the top of the sock is knit the shortarmed needles are reintroduced from the idle groove into the working groove, and then commence forming their respective stitches, together with the long-armed needles. The two sets of needles thus work together until the sock is finished, long-armed needles and shortarmed needles being indiscriminately used or not used while knitting the heel and toe of the sock.

When one sock is knit and removed from the machine the short-armed needles are retired into the idle groove until the top of the neXt sock is knit, as previously indicated.

To knit the heel or toe of the sock, ring H is raised by hand in vertical adjustment on the cam-cylinder. The needles which are not required for this work are raised by hand so as to cause their arms to pass over the inclined ways of the working groove. As a rule, the tension of the work is sufficient to maintain the raised needles in said position; but, to prevent any possibility of the needles dropping, they may be respectively provided with lateral projections 10, as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 of the drawings. As the needles are drawn up these projections slip under an elastic band, U, (shown in Fig.3 of the drawings,) said band fitting between said projection and the lateral arm of each needle. The needles are both raised and lowered by hand.

Havingfully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with a needle-cylinder, a bed-plate having a central opening, and a clamp embracing that portion of the cylinder which projects below the bedplate, said clamp being provided with vertical slides having transverse grooves, of hangers depending from the bed-plate and provided with grooves in which the slides fit, and also providedwith transverse grooves, a horizontal bow whose extremities are formed with inclines fitting in the transverse grooves of said slides and hangers, and means for longitudinally adjusting the bow, substantially as set forth.

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with needles having lateral arms and a needle-cylinder, of a cam-cylinder, within which the needle-cylinder is placed, and a skeleton cylinder fitted between said two cylinders, the three cylinders being, respectively, located in different vertical planes and concentric with each other, substantially as set forth.

3. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with a needle-cylinder, needles having lateral arms, and a cam-cylinder, of a bed-plate and a skeleton cylinder formed of vertical bars secured to the latter, the openings formed between the consecutive bars being adapted to have the needle-arms fit therein, substantially as set forth.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with a needle-cylinder, needles having lateral arms, and a cam-cylinder, of a bed-plate and a skeleton-cylinder formed of vertical bars whose lower extremities are rigidly secured to the bed-plate, said skeleton-cylinder being located adjacent to the cam-cylinder and adapted to have the outer portions of the needlearms fitted in its openings, substantially as set forth.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with a needle-cylinder and needles having lateral' arms, of a cam-cylinder whose workin g groove is provided with oppositely-inclined ways, the lowerwall of said groove being rigid with the cylinder and the upper wall beinga ring independent of the cylinder, said parts being adapted,- by raising the ring, to widen the groove, so that the needles which are not used in knitting the heel or toe of the sock may be elevated and cause their arms to pass above the inclined ways when the cam-cylinder is reciprocated, substantially as set forth.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with a cam-cylinder having the upper walls of its oppositely-inclined ways rigid therewith and provided with horizontal extensions which form the upper walls of the adjacent straight portions of the groove, of a vertically-adjustable ring which forms the upper wall of the main straight portion of the groove and is provided with a longitudinal recess in its lower edge, within which fit the said upper walls of the inclined ways and. their extensions, subof a ring which fits within the cylinder and forms the upper wall of the main straight portion of the groove in the cylinder, said ring being provided with lateral studs adapted to engage with said notches when the ring is raised and to fit in said grooves when the ring is lowered, substantially as set forth.

9. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with a needle-cylinder, long-armed needles, and short-armed needles, of a cam-cylinder having a working groove and an idle gooove, the inner portion'of the lower wall of the working groove being provided with a channel adapted to permit the short-armed needles to be retired into the idle groove, theouter portion of the same wall being formed without said connecting-channel, and being adapted to prevent the longarmed needles from being retired into the idle groove, substantially as set forth.

10. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with a needle'cylinder, long-armed needles, and short-armed needles, of a cam-cylinder having a working groove and an idle groove, the lower wall of the working groove being formed at one point with a recess in its outer portion and provided with a channel in its inner portion, which connects with. the idle groove, a switch located in said channel, and a vertically-adjustable slide above the latter, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of October, 1879.

WILLIAM H. MAYO.

Witnesses:

J. W. BREWER, JOSHUA W. EVAM. 

